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Rave
Would you trade your morals for your freedom?
In near future America, people with extra powers are known as the "Infected" and treated as a threat. Infected are kept separately in an underground world, the Below, away from those who are deemed safe to stay Above. Tameryn Marks is an Infected teenager trying to stay under the radar. When someone starts asking questions about her Infected status, she and her two childhood friends, Dustin and Madison, run away from the orphanage, the school, and the life she has known, all in an attempt to keep their safety and freedom Above.
When that fails miserably, she finds herself in the Below, separated from her friends and at the mercy of a potentially dangerous group of people who believe she can be of use to them. Desperate, she makes a deal: help them take down their enemy, and they’ll get her back Above. But the group seems to think she’s capable of far greater and darker things than she actually is. Now, Tameryn has to decide to play into that misconception, or risk never seeing Above and her friends again.
Rave is book 1 in the Chronicles of the Below series, and Faye Gentry's debut novel.
In near future America, people with extra powers are known as the "Infected" and treated as a threat. Infected are kept separately in an underground world, the Below, away from those who are deemed safe to stay Above. Tameryn Marks is an Infected teenager trying to stay under the radar. When someone starts asking questions about her Infected status, she and her two childhood friends, Dustin and Madison, run away from the orphanage, the school, and the life she has known, all in an attempt to keep their safety and freedom Above.
When that fails miserably, she finds herself in the Below, separated from her friends and at the mercy of a potentially dangerous group of people who believe she can be of use to them. Desperate, she makes a deal: help them take down their enemy, and they’ll get her back Above. But the group seems to think she’s capable of far greater and darker things than she actually is. Now, Tameryn has to decide to play into that misconception, or risk never seeing Above and her friends again.
Rave is book 1 in the Chronicles of the Below series, and Faye Gentry's debut novel.
- GenresDystopia
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 20, 2026
Goodbye typical YA dystopian angsty teen love triangle, hello found family and building community in a world that tries to bury anyone "infected" with a genetic mutation.
Tameryn just wants to graduate high school with her besties, Dustin and Madison, but when the government gets word that she's "infected," she's forced to take a one-way ticket to the Below. A series of underground caves, the Below is a grungy metal city where people like Tameryn struggle to survive off scraps from the Above. In her endeavor to escape the Below, she unexpectedly finds community with other misfits.
Rave is gritty and full of heart and humor. It doesn't shy away from both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity. Tameryn's opinionated and sarcastic yet intensely loyal voice makes the writing distinctive and easy to read.
This book is close to my heart, and I love the characters dearly. I can't wait to see where they go next.
Full disclosure: I have offered feedback on this novel throughout many stages and drafts. I receive no monetary benefit from sales of this book.
Tameryn just wants to graduate high school with her besties, Dustin and Madison, but when the government gets word that she's "infected," she's forced to take a one-way ticket to the Below. A series of underground caves, the Below is a grungy metal city where people like Tameryn struggle to survive off scraps from the Above. In her endeavor to escape the Below, she unexpectedly finds community with other misfits.
Rave is gritty and full of heart and humor. It doesn't shy away from both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity. Tameryn's opinionated and sarcastic yet intensely loyal voice makes the writing distinctive and easy to read.
This book is close to my heart, and I love the characters dearly. I can't wait to see where they go next.
Full disclosure: I have offered feedback on this novel throughout many stages and drafts. I receive no monetary benefit from sales of this book.
June 21, 2026
An underground city filled with outcasts. An FMC who is passionately stubborn. A gritty and vivid atmosphere. RAVE makes a fantastic addition to the YA Dystopian genre, and readers looking to escape into a grungy, hidden society will enjoy this book.
RAVE shines with the setting. Faye Gentry does a great job establishing the environment, both above and below, and it was a lot of fun exploring it all as the FMC navigates the story. Tameryn's anger, loyalty, and determination made her easy to root for, even when it complicated things. The setting may be grungy, but the writing style is poetic and intimate. Told in close third, RAVE is seamlessly immersive, and the POV choice adds a lot of depth. It felt like sitting safely on Tameryn's shoulders, watching everything unfold through her eyes but feeling everything she feels, and buckling up right next to her mindset. Faye Gentry is a natural storyteller, and the found family dynamic hits home.
Most of the plot bordered on a miscommunication trope for me, and I found myself wondering why Tameryn wasn't asking the right questions, especially with such a spitfire personality, but taking into consideration that this is a YA Dystopian, I can understand why the FMC did/didn't do or say some things. I wanted her to take a bit more initiative, but the world-building was truly a standout and kept me turning those pages.
RAVE shines with the setting. Faye Gentry does a great job establishing the environment, both above and below, and it was a lot of fun exploring it all as the FMC navigates the story. Tameryn's anger, loyalty, and determination made her easy to root for, even when it complicated things. The setting may be grungy, but the writing style is poetic and intimate. Told in close third, RAVE is seamlessly immersive, and the POV choice adds a lot of depth. It felt like sitting safely on Tameryn's shoulders, watching everything unfold through her eyes but feeling everything she feels, and buckling up right next to her mindset. Faye Gentry is a natural storyteller, and the found family dynamic hits home.
Most of the plot bordered on a miscommunication trope for me, and I found myself wondering why Tameryn wasn't asking the right questions, especially with such a spitfire personality, but taking into consideration that this is a YA Dystopian, I can understand why the FMC did/didn't do or say some things. I wanted her to take a bit more initiative, but the world-building was truly a standout and kept me turning those pages.
June 20, 2026
As someone who is particularly picky about her dystopian books, this was a breath of fresh air. Not only was this a true dystopian, but it was a completely new concept that I was looking for. Reading this made me feeling I was back discovering a new book I randomly pick up one day and fell in love with it.
The characters kept me guessing throughout the story, had me in a chokehold about everything that happened to the world. The descriptions paint a picture of the layout and scenery, as well as the mood in each chapter.
Not only that, the cover art is also amazing, as it shows what it is going to be about and still has the mystery of the dystopian world you will get thrown into. I cannot recommend this book enough 😊❤️
The characters kept me guessing throughout the story, had me in a chokehold about everything that happened to the world. The descriptions paint a picture of the layout and scenery, as well as the mood in each chapter.
Not only that, the cover art is also amazing, as it shows what it is going to be about and still has the mystery of the dystopian world you will get thrown into. I cannot recommend this book enough 😊❤️
July 20, 2026
Took me off guard in the best ways. Loved Tameryn and her tough, loyal, but broken character and narration.
Review of advance copy received from Author
*I received this arc copy by courtesy of the author but all opinions are my own.*
Do you remember what it was like circa late 2000s-early 2010s to go to the ya section of a bookstore and just search around until something stuck out to you? In an era before Booktok or even the major popularization of Bookstagram? Where you'd simply pick up a book, take it home, and find out that you found a glorious world that you felt the need to share with your friends?
That's what reading Rave felt like. It was like I was a little girl, scouring my school's library for my next read, stumbling upon something I needed to share with everyone all over again. Despite Rave being so unlike all of the other dystopian books I've read (in a good way), it gave me the nostalgic feeling of picking up a dystopian book during the height of that era.
No spoilers, especially because this is an arc review, but Rave is a YA Dystopian that follows teenage Tameryn, as she tries to keep her and her friends safe in a world out to get them. Throughout the book, she tries her hardest to protect those she cares about, and even those she might not. She keeps to her beliefs, even in times of hardships, and it's clear that she would give everything for Dustin & Madison. Rave is the start of a series, so I'm definitely curious to see whether or not that will end up being a hamartia for Tameryn, or whether it will be a her saving grace.
I look forward to future works by Faye Gentry, and would definitely recommend everyone check out Rave when it releases in June.
Do you remember what it was like circa late 2000s-early 2010s to go to the ya section of a bookstore and just search around until something stuck out to you? In an era before Booktok or even the major popularization of Bookstagram? Where you'd simply pick up a book, take it home, and find out that you found a glorious world that you felt the need to share with your friends?
That's what reading Rave felt like. It was like I was a little girl, scouring my school's library for my next read, stumbling upon something I needed to share with everyone all over again. Despite Rave being so unlike all of the other dystopian books I've read (in a good way), it gave me the nostalgic feeling of picking up a dystopian book during the height of that era.
No spoilers, especially because this is an arc review, but Rave is a YA Dystopian that follows teenage Tameryn, as she tries to keep her and her friends safe in a world out to get them. Throughout the book, she tries her hardest to protect those she cares about, and even those she might not. She keeps to her beliefs, even in times of hardships, and it's clear that she would give everything for Dustin & Madison. Rave is the start of a series, so I'm definitely curious to see whether or not that will end up being a hamartia for Tameryn, or whether it will be a her saving grace.
I look forward to future works by Faye Gentry, and would definitely recommend everyone check out Rave when it releases in June.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Synopsis
Rave unfolds through the colorful lens of Tameryn, a girl from the Above who spent her life laying low and averse to using her powers of illusion. When word gets out, she runs away with her two friends and is hell-bent on survival. However, she gets dragged to the Below, an underground society for Infecteds like her. Navigating the harrowing descent to the underground landscape, immersed in the charismatic personalities of her fellow Infecteds and their political alliances, she finds herself caught up in the brewing rebellion, reluctantly becoming the catalyst that can turn the tides on their mission to up-heave the whole system.
Setting & Overview
Rave is a brilliant, prismatic dystopian adventure. The writing style of Rave unlocks a familiar type of retro nostalgia from the 90's and early 2000s. The story blends elements of true-grit Americana, Western Gothic, Cyberpunk, and a distinct techno Rave subculture to create an atmospheric, subversive underground world. In between the stalagmites and stalactites of the cavernous Below, there are dark skies and stark metal skyscrapers and a nightlife of people dancing in the depths of the underground to the infectious beat of the music. Among the chaos of this upside-down world, there is a power struggle happening behind the scenes between two rival fractions and we are directly placed in between its shadowed leader and the resistance against her.
Characters & Themes
Being Different: This story depicts the physical and emotional aspects of trying to fit into a world that doesn't accept people who are different. Tameryn is a teen whose spent her whole life keeping her head down, living in fear, knowing she’s against the odds and desperately trying to cling onto her humanity and survive. This story has a powerful message about fear and how society treats and separates those they do not understand.
Teamwork: In her journey to the Below, she is forced to work together with a rag tag group of super-powered Infecteds that she may or may not grow to count on and share the weight of survival with.
Tameryn is guarded and scrappy.
The twins are lovable hooligans.
Sylvester is steadfast and earnest.
Claudia is daring and street-savvy.
Riem is astute and calculating.
And Hammer is well...a loud-mouthed musclehead.
Friendship & Found Family: In a hard-lined society made to fracture families, to protect the few bonds that matter, Tameryn forces herself to be the defacto leader to her only remaining friends, the twins: Madison and Dustin. Madison is more dependable and deliberate while his sister Dustin is more free-spirited and zany. Together they are chaotic and serve as a rounded contrast for Tameryn's more cautious, grounded personality.
Dystopia: This story depicts a post-war society rebuilding under strife and fear, deciding to separate and relocate masses of its 'infected' population to the underground. Through the contrast in access to resources and living conditions between the Above and the Below, the writing shows the divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the resulting lives of the forgotten people left in this new dystopian infrastructure.
Rebellion: The central conflict As circumstances increasingly grow worse, this creates a need for a group of rebels to prevent this all-out authoritarian takeover.
The Power of the Powerless: Despite being feared all her life for her Infection, Tameryn's and at the end of the day, she's just a vulnerable girl trying to find her place in the world; This story shows that real change and real power comes from grit, tenacity, teamwork and the bonds that you choose to fight for.
Favorite Moments of the Book
Some of my favorite moments in this book are the following
• Any mention of the Kind Inclinations Orphanage because the name makes me laugh.
• Descriptions of the Rave night scene; the colorful clothes and styling; the music and ambiance; and the depictions of the underground world.
• Sylvester's goth Victorian outfits and top hat.
• The retro California vibes of the Above world.
• The yearning voice of the author and the specific, nostalgic verbiage she employees to create authentic, memorable imagery and snappy dialogue.
Overall Thoughts
This debut novel has a perfect mix of grunge dystopian vibes and thrilling action to keep readers on their toes. The voice of the author is strong, and the story has a lot of heart. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, and it caught me off guard in many instances. The characters are all compelling and the dynamics between them were full of tension and growth. Overall, this was a survival-positive experience. A rave review for Rave.
*Special thanks to the author for providing this digital Advance Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Rave unfolds through the colorful lens of Tameryn, a girl from the Above who spent her life laying low and averse to using her powers of illusion. When word gets out, she runs away with her two friends and is hell-bent on survival. However, she gets dragged to the Below, an underground society for Infecteds like her. Navigating the harrowing descent to the underground landscape, immersed in the charismatic personalities of her fellow Infecteds and their political alliances, she finds herself caught up in the brewing rebellion, reluctantly becoming the catalyst that can turn the tides on their mission to up-heave the whole system.
Setting & Overview
Rave is a brilliant, prismatic dystopian adventure. The writing style of Rave unlocks a familiar type of retro nostalgia from the 90's and early 2000s. The story blends elements of true-grit Americana, Western Gothic, Cyberpunk, and a distinct techno Rave subculture to create an atmospheric, subversive underground world. In between the stalagmites and stalactites of the cavernous Below, there are dark skies and stark metal skyscrapers and a nightlife of people dancing in the depths of the underground to the infectious beat of the music. Among the chaos of this upside-down world, there is a power struggle happening behind the scenes between two rival fractions and we are directly placed in between its shadowed leader and the resistance against her.
Characters & Themes
Being Different: This story depicts the physical and emotional aspects of trying to fit into a world that doesn't accept people who are different. Tameryn is a teen whose spent her whole life keeping her head down, living in fear, knowing she’s against the odds and desperately trying to cling onto her humanity and survive. This story has a powerful message about fear and how society treats and separates those they do not understand.
Teamwork: In her journey to the Below, she is forced to work together with a rag tag group of super-powered Infecteds that she may or may not grow to count on and share the weight of survival with.
Tameryn is guarded and scrappy.
The twins are lovable hooligans.
Sylvester is steadfast and earnest.
Claudia is daring and street-savvy.
Riem is astute and calculating.
And Hammer is well...a loud-mouthed musclehead.
Friendship & Found Family: In a hard-lined society made to fracture families, to protect the few bonds that matter, Tameryn forces herself to be the defacto leader to her only remaining friends, the twins: Madison and Dustin. Madison is more dependable and deliberate while his sister Dustin is more free-spirited and zany. Together they are chaotic and serve as a rounded contrast for Tameryn's more cautious, grounded personality.
Dystopia: This story depicts a post-war society rebuilding under strife and fear, deciding to separate and relocate masses of its 'infected' population to the underground. Through the contrast in access to resources and living conditions between the Above and the Below, the writing shows the divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the resulting lives of the forgotten people left in this new dystopian infrastructure.
Rebellion: The central conflict As circumstances increasingly grow worse, this creates a need for a group of rebels to prevent this all-out authoritarian takeover.
The Power of the Powerless: Despite being feared all her life for her Infection, Tameryn's and at the end of the day, she's just a vulnerable girl trying to find her place in the world; This story shows that real change and real power comes from grit, tenacity, teamwork and the bonds that you choose to fight for.
Favorite Moments of the Book
Some of my favorite moments in this book are the following
• Any mention of the Kind Inclinations Orphanage because the name makes me laugh.
• Descriptions of the Rave night scene; the colorful clothes and styling; the music and ambiance; and the depictions of the underground world.
• Sylvester's goth Victorian outfits and top hat.
• The retro California vibes of the Above world.
• The yearning voice of the author and the specific, nostalgic verbiage she employees to create authentic, memorable imagery and snappy dialogue.
Overall Thoughts
This debut novel has a perfect mix of grunge dystopian vibes and thrilling action to keep readers on their toes. The voice of the author is strong, and the story has a lot of heart. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, and it caught me off guard in many instances. The characters are all compelling and the dynamics between them were full of tension and growth. Overall, this was a survival-positive experience. A rave review for Rave.
*Special thanks to the author for providing this digital Advance Reader Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have such a soft spot in my heart for Rave. I was on about a 2 year slump from reading books as I just couldn't connect with anything. Then comes Rave, and with each chapter, I started to find my love for reading again. I felt glued to the book in a way I hadn't felt in quite some time! Feeling the turmoil and uncertainty that the main character Tameryn felt as she was thrust into a world she tried desperately to avoid. That connection with the MC is hard to come by, and Faye Gentry does a great job of making each character feel genuine in the dystopian nightmare.
The author does a wonderful job at finding a good flow with her words, making reading effortless. Weaving perfectly between describing the scene with clarity and letting the emotions of characters seep onto the page to paint a vivid picture of the world. There are a couple of chapters in particular that I will remember forever because of how vividly I was seeing the words paint a picture in my head as if I was watching a movie. Something that I tend to struggle with. For a debut, I already find myself a big fan of Faye Gentry and want to see not only what she writes next but what becomes of each of the characters in Rave! If you love dystopians, emotional moments, and young adults trying to make the most out of a bad situation: I'd highly recommend Rave!
The author does a wonderful job at finding a good flow with her words, making reading effortless. Weaving perfectly between describing the scene with clarity and letting the emotions of characters seep onto the page to paint a vivid picture of the world. There are a couple of chapters in particular that I will remember forever because of how vividly I was seeing the words paint a picture in my head as if I was watching a movie. Something that I tend to struggle with. For a debut, I already find myself a big fan of Faye Gentry and want to see not only what she writes next but what becomes of each of the characters in Rave! If you love dystopians, emotional moments, and young adults trying to make the most out of a bad situation: I'd highly recommend Rave!
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